Krrish

I saw Krrish in Stockholm yesterday. I am not keen on science fiction movies, even if I used to read science fiction when I was young. I have never before seen an Indian movie on cinema and perhaps because it was the first time, I liked Krrish very much. Indian films are longer than Hollywood/European films, but it didn't feel long at all. Must have been entertaining! It did not matter at all that the film makers had borrowed ideas from other films(Flying Daggers, ET, Dr.Who, whatever). The film was very Indian and didn't feel like a copy of anything. I loved the music and dances, the dance in the circus was wonderful!

The actor who played Krrish felt quite right for the role. I have seen him in KKKB, but didn't think much about him then, was too fascinated by Sharukh. This is my first film critic ever! Becoming addicted to Indian films make me do strange things!!

Krrish is the first movie from India that I've seen. I saw it on Youtube. I didn't have very high expectations, but after watching it, I was blown away.

Krrish is a film about India's first superhero. It starts with a young man named Krishna, who lives in rural India with his grandmother. Krishna has several unique abilities, including super-strength, super-speed, enhanced intelligence and levitation. One day, Krishna meets and falls in love with a young woman named Priya. After she goes home to Singapore, Krishna follows and hopes to ask Priya to marry him. In Singapore, he finds reasons to uses his powers to help mankind, including fighting a mad scientist named Dr. Arya. He becomes Krrish, the icon of millions of people.

Krrish is just an awesome movie. It has plenty of action, romance, humor and super-heroics. On top of all of that, I saw the movie as an up-close look at modern Indian culture. All in all, I thought this movie was great and Bollywood rocks.

If you love superhero movies you with love this movie.

The movie has since been removed from Youtube. I hope I can find it again.

The wait's over, even though it took quite long.The movie is excels in acting and story. The story is refreshingly different and not abashedly picked up from any of the superheroes of Bollywood. Its in fact very good and innovative.One that is different and yet rooted to its base characters. Hrithik has one again excelled at everything from doing his own stunts to acting and dancing(forte). The direction is sleek and styled. For once i could relax, put down my critical enjoying view and abashedly enjoy whats supposed to be our own superhero with all the values and dignity. The movie has a good mixture of both humor and class

Krrish is a unique movie that combines many elements and genres. Reviewing this film is no easy task; reviewing it objectively is even harder. This is because Krrish breaks many of the expectations of a western moviegoer. It's action is unusual, its acting is often exaggerated, not to mention that its in a foreign language! Getting a good perspective on the film is hard when it doesn't look anything like the movie one was looking for. So, let me just get my bias out on the table early on in this review. I loved it! I haven't laughed that hard in any action movie ever. I haven't seen fights that good in any comedy ever. Nor have I ever seen music videos like those in any sci-fi super hero flick. I love the crazy place this movie has found in terms of genre. This film moves easily from pop music video to manga-style action to touching drama to thought provoking sci-fi. It's just great.

However, the bizarre amount of slapstick comedy, product placement/general commercialism, and constant switching of genre may very well put some western viewers off. This movie is not your usual super hero flick. Batman this is not.

It is, however, an excellent movie that combines the core elements of the super hero genre with romance, comedy, and sci-fi, and does this quite effectively, thanks to the good dialogue, great choreography and effects, and great acting and dancing by Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra.

I was thoroughly entertained and would recommend this film to just about anyone who is willing to suspend disbelief, sit back, and enjoy the show.

I have been lurking on this section for some time now, with a few raised eyebrows at some of the comments that have been passed here. I think some are just wholly unjustified and inaccurate.

I have seen Krrish twice now. It is an unabashed popcorn entertainer. You're typical Hollywood special effects summer blockbuster, only that it has a unique Indian soul and the quintessential Bollywood elements. It is an accomplished blend of Indian popular storytelling , western technology and Asian action and it's historic success in India, proves how successful this fusion is.

Surprisingly, unlike most Hollywood film, where technology and action takes precedence, here special effects are minimally and virtuously(often seamlessly) used and most of the emphasis is on the emotional journey of the protagonist, who is reborn as the superhero, only towards the end, shifting to sci-fi action and concluding in a mesmerising ground-air-sea helicopter chase sequence, supported by an awesome and adrenaline-pumping background score.

Now I am going to deal with the common issues made against Krissh:

1. Action and special effects do not compare to Hollywood standards.

You really do need to define what Hollywood standards are. I have seen many big budget Hollywood special effects extravaganzas and the quality of special effects are variable; they range from good to bad; from shot to shot and from film to film.

Krrish is nothing below "Hollywood standards" It has effects work that is on par or better than some Hollywood films, and less than some. What matters most, is do they work on their own terms, and given that masses of people, including international critics have appreciated them, means an emphatic yes.

2. The techniques, effects and stunts are borrowed and/or plagiarised from Hollywood and Asian films; such as Crouching Tiger, House of flying daggers,Paycheck, Matrix.

First of all, it would make sense that special effects techniques have been repeated from Hollywood, because the special effects supervisors - are from Hollywood.

It would make sense that the stunts and martial arts have been repeated from Asian films, because the stunt choreographer - is from Hong Kong.

Secondly, techniques are invented to be reused. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.

A filmmaker has at his utility an entire tool-kit of established techniques. It is how he uses them to actualise his vision that creates originality. In that respect, Rakesh Roshan is not a hack, because while he borrows techniques, he tailors them to his unique vision and lends them an originality of their own.

The stunts and action scenes have been designed according to Krrish's character and his own quirks, abilities and idiosyncrasies.

In particular, the final ground-air-sea helicopter chase sequence and the shot where Krrish uses the fountain jet to catapult him(awesome shot) into the air has never been done before. The anime-inspired fight sequence on the island is another spark of creativity. The initial sequence of him running to catch the glider is another very original sequence. Ditto for the Circus fire scene.

3. Krrish is a mundane love story, comedy and drama for most of the film. Not enough superhero elements.

When I watched Krrish the first time, I too echoed the same sentiments. I wanted to see more action scenes and superhero elements, not the usual run of the mill romantic comedy. I was disappointed. Then when I watched it the second time, this time without expecting a superhero film, I realised it's not suppose to be a superhero film; it is the beginning of a superhero

4. Krrish is a hybrid of other superheros films and copies plot elements.

Superhero films are quite a predictable genre and share many similarities. They are the classic tale of good vs evil, where the hero is super-good and the villain is super-evil(often a megalomaniac with designs to take over the world) and the film builds to the final face-off, where good will invariably triumph. Superman follows the exactly the same story arc; so does Batman; so does Spiderman; and yes, so does Krrish.

Another similarity is that the superhero-ego will often be incognito and not reveal their true identity, except to a select few. You see this in Superman; Spiderman and Batman; so, you also see it in Krrish. Again, because the superhero is mysterious, they become the talk of the world and the the press become obsessed with them and in unveiling their identity. You see this in Superman; Spiderman and Batman; so you see it in Krrish.

Krrish is as original and unoriginal as any superhero film. If you can accept that Superman is not a copy of Spiderman and Spiderman is not a copy of Batman. Then you should be able to accept that Krrish is not a copy of either of them and stands as an original work.

5. Krrish is just the usual Bollywood potboiler, with songs and dances, comedy, melodrama and colours.

So are 99.9% of Bollywood films. This is the unique Bollywood identity and film-making heritage and make no mistake about it, Krrish is an all-out Bollywood film, made for mass consumption by Bollywood fans.

Krrish is a very commendable and well-made film, an all out-entertainer, with plenty of cool action and special effects, but with it's heart in it's story of Krishna becoming Krrish(played admirably by Hrithik Roshan) It's also a historic milestone in Indian film-making, and will be to Indian cinema, what Superman was to American cinema. Expect the sequel to even bigger.

An impressive and world-class entry by Bollywood to the fantastic world of sci-fi and fantasy. I look forward to more such films from Bollywood. In fact, as I write , another Bollywood director is in the preproduction phase of a big budget futuristic sci-fi romance set in 2050 India, and not an ordinary love story, it's the love story between a robot and a human!